Office 2010 Professional Is Microsoft Zune about t

Over the past few days, a lot more and much more Microsoft watchers are noticing that Microsoft execs seem to get producing a deliberate work to avoid employing the Z (Zune) phrase. That avoidance has set off a wave of speculation.Some pundits claiming that Microsoft is shifting to rebrand the services (Windows Live Amusement,Windows 7 Pro Product Key, any person?). Others believe Microsoft is clearing the decks to enable Microsoft;s most recent and biggest Windows Phone companion Nokia to consider over the streaming-music part of the support. (I;m not putting a whole lot of stock in that 1, given that Nokia not too long ago closed the Ovi Music Streaming company.)Like a Zune High definition and ZunePass user — and 1 who is looking forward to syncing her Zune account to her Windows Phone (whenever Verizon finally delivers a WP7 model) — I was worried Microsoft might have decided to pull the plug on its Zune music/movie/TV support. With the ill-fated Kin, Microsoft has shown that not all its bets, even those that come to market, are long-term ones. I asked the Softies whether Zune was about to become Kinned.A spokesperson responded to my question late in the day of February 14:“We’re not ‘killing; any with the Zune services/features in any way. Microsoft remains committed to providing a terrific new music and video experience from Zune on platforms such as Xbox Reside, Windows-based PCs, Zune devices and Windows Telephone 7,Office Enterprise 2007 Key, as well as integration with Bing and MSN.”Windows Supersite blogger Paul Thurrott;s rebranding theory is sounding much more and additional plausible. But I;m thinking that Microsoft may opt to rebrand Zune as “Xbox entertainment,” rather than anything to do with Windows Reside. After all,Office 2010 Home And Student, the Zune company already is available on the Xbox. And the rumored Zune HD2 — supposedly a device meant to compete using the iPod Touch — easily could be positioned and marketed as a portable gaming device.Some veteran Microsoft heavy-hitters are moving to the Xbox division,Office 2010 Professional, as I;ve blogged not too long ago,Office Professional Plus 2007, and are seemingly working on some kind of services-focused project. And the Zune team — which Microsoft split and reorged (twice) — is already in the Interactive Amusement Business division, which is the home with the Xbox. Maybe the Zune support will end up as component with the evolving Microsoft IPTV strategy?Everyone have any guesses (educated or not) about what;s next for Zune?Update: Of all the posts I;ve read since I wrote this blog entry, I believe Jamie Thomson;s makes the most sense. Thomson suggests that Zune will grow to be the new Windows Live Media Player, and, effectively, Microsoft;s competitor to iTunes. I — unlike Thomson — still am thinking there could be one much more Zune iPod Touch competitor, but a lot more likely positioned as an Xbox-branded portable gaming device